


There's A Part of Me Still Lost Out There

by SeventhMoonlitNight



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Magicats (She-Ra)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26069938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeventhMoonlitNight/pseuds/SeventhMoonlitNight
Summary: Catra is overwhelmed with the growing responsibilities of being the princess of the Magicats, despite not being the next in line for the throne. It gets even worse when a spaceship lands on the Kingdom of Half Moon. Alarms are sounded and weapons are grabbed as they head to the ship.First Ones are coming.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 103





	1. We Stand On the Edge Wondering

**Author's Note:**

> Aliens! Space! Magic! This has all of that! 
> 
> I wanted to give the Magicats thing a try so here we go!

Catra stretches out in contentment on the bench. Sunlight beams down on her from their three suns and through the leaves of the trees surrounding the castle. Warmth seeps through her fur and skin, leaving her feeling all glowy and relaxed.   
  
Some may say it’s from the suns’ magical powers over their race but honestly, she just thinks it’s the heat.   
  
Her right ears flicks towards the entrance of her room, hearing someone entering her room and approaching her on the balcony. Eyes closed, she sniffs once and grins.  
  
“To what do I owe the lovely pleasure of your attendance, brother?”  
  
She can’t see it but Catra is sure her older brother is rolling his eyes at her.   
  
“Our parents have asked me to look for you. You’re missing lunchtime, Cat’rina, and you know time is of the essence.” Brand’well explains, a little exasperated, as he continues walking to her.   
  
Catra knows that tone of voice and sighs as she sits up, tail flicking in annoyance as she parrots her brother’s next words along with him.  
  
“’How will the people know you’re taking their grievances seriously if you’re not utilizing everyone’s time properly?’”  
  
Brand’well glares a little as she mocks his words.   
  
Catra waves a dismissive hand at him. “What does it matter, Bran? You’re taking over the throne, not me. I should be able to do whatever I want, when I want.”  
  
“You’re still the princess, Cat’rina – “  
  
“ – and would it kill you to stop calling me that – “  
  
“ – would it kill you to be punctual to our meals with our parents?” Brand’well sighs out, throwing his hands up in the air. He sees his sister’s shoulders come up to her jaw and hunch over in frustration. He watches her extend her claws and dig them into the wood she’s sitting on.  
  
Brand’well frowns and sits down beside her. He locks blue eyes with her mismatched gaze and, not for the first time, marvels at how she’s the perfect combination of their parents.  
  
Catra has C’yra’s tan fur and a golden eye but her unruly mane, ears, tail and blue eye she gets from Ly’line. Brand’well himself is all Ly’line, dark brown hair and fur and blue eyes. C’yra has the lightest complexion of them all, with her dirty blonde mane, gold eyes and tan fur.  
  
“Cat’rina – “ He pauses at the glare sent his way, “Er – Listen, Catra, I understand you don’t want anything to do with governing over our people but you’re still their princess. People look up to you. And you have a responsibility to them. You’re not a kitten anymore, Catra.”  
  
Catra just frowns, curling into herself even more. She brings her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them. Resting her chin on her knees, she stares down at the grass beneath the bench.   
  
The castle is made of both wood and stone, both materials working together to hold their palace – and city, further down, closer to ground level than the castle – in place between woods and mountains. The Magicats have learned to survive and live in the weird combination of stone, rocks and woods that cover their territory of jungle and mountains.  
  
Unlike the sand dunes the Scorpioni seems to prefer and the beach towns the merfolk have constructed over the centuries, the Magicats have only adapted around their surroundings, living off the land as it is.   
  
Despite hating having sand stuck in her fur, Catra wishes she was in the sand dunes of Crimson Kingdom right now. At least Scorpia wouldn’t be lecturing her about her responsibilities.   
  
Catra looks up to stare into her brother’s bright blue eyes. Her ears drop back at the gentleness and endless patience she sees there and bites her lip, debating whether to pour her thoughts out to him.  
  
He smiles at her patiently, his tail coming up to playfully swat at one of her ears.   
  
Catra huffs and turns to stare back down at the ground. “What if I’m not good enough for them? What if I don’t deserve to be their princess?”  
  
Brand’well leans back slightly in surprise, blinking down at her. “Wait, where is this coming from?” He reaches out to place a hand on her shoulder gently, mindful of the fact that her fur is bristling.  
  
“Catra, you’re one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. You’re at the top of your strategic, magic and combat classes. Also, I know you know all of the social decorum when it comes to royalty and non-royalty alike, despite you showing otherwise. I mean, I’m sure that if I wasn’t the first in line for the throne, you’d be the one becoming our monarch, not me.”  
  
Catra only curls herself even more, if possible.   
  
A shadowy figure appears in the doorway then, heading their way on all fours. The bright blue mane, slowly turning dark purple the closer it got, means it’s only Catra’s large cat familiar, Melog. They sit down by the bench and bump their head against Catra’s side in encouragement and comfort.  
  
Catra drops her legs back to the ground and wraps herself around Melog’s head, hugging his mane close to her. Melog only mewls and rubs their head against her cheek.  
  
“Just because I’m good at my studies doesn’t mean I deserve to be their princess, Bran.”  
  
She has a good point, Brand’well conceded, but she’s also wrong.  
  
He opens his mouth to retort, to gives her reasons as to why she’s _so, so_ deserving of everything in life when a loud siren is heard.  
  
Both Magicats reach up to cover their ears in pain while Melog’s mane turns a bright red in anger.   
  
“What in Puma’s name is that?!” Catra yells over the sound, tail reaching over to wrap around her brother’s arm, seeking some kind of contact to ground herself through the pain.  
  
Brand’well narrows his eyes and turns as he stands, walking over to the edge of the balcony to look down at the rest of the palace. He sees their mother C’yra running out of the palace entrance grounds, shouting orders to her soldiers. Their other parent, Ly’line, heading towards the city down below, flawlessly throwing themselves over vines and branches in order to reach the lower grounds faster.   
  
Guards and soldiers alike follow them as they descend into the city but Brand’well notices that his parent’s gaze isn’t on the ground. Their bright blue eyes are staring up at the sky, narrowed in that way they always are whenever Catra manages to escape the city into the forest surrounding them.   
  
“Bran, what is that?” Catra whispers in awe, snapping him out of his thoughts. He sees her now standing beside him and follows her gaze up to the sky.   
  
What appears to be a triangle-like shape is descending over them, looking like a dot at first but the closer it gets, the bigger it seems. It looks to be the size of three homes, with glowing straight lines and rectangular shapes decorating the outside.  
  
Brand’well had only been a kit when the invading kind had tried to invade Krytis. They were a small force, strong with their technologically advanced weapons but only a small force. Within days, the people of Krytis – Magicats, Scorpioni, merfolk, elves, fairies, even the elusive werepeople – had managed to drive them away.   
  
They never came back.   
  
Until today.  
  
“Bran?” Catra grips his forearm, her claws digging past fur and into skin. Her voices dips from amazement to caution. “What is going?”  
  
Catra hadn’t been born yet. She knew the basic history of the battle, but she hadn’t been there for the battle and the aftermath.  
  
There’s a reason their kind moved to the cover of the woods and mountains.  
  
“Brand’well – “  
  
He starts smelling her fear, intermingling with his own dread in the pit of his stomach.   
  
“Those are Colonizers.”


	2. Reaching Out Into the Great Unknown

Adora walks over to the landing strip, blue eyes taking in the size of her ship. The First Ones’ markings glow under the light of the moon. She’s not too sure if the markings are supposed to make any coherent sentences. All she really can make out is the word She-Ra.  
  
Adora sighs when she catches sight of the words.  
  
She hasn’t been able to connect to She-Ra. Not since she broke the sword.   
  
She shouldn’t have listened to Light Hope and Shadow Weaver. She should’ve known she was being used. She should have listened to Entrapta and the rest of the Princesses.   
  
But as She-Ra, she had a destiny and she had to fulfill that destiny. At least, that’s what Shadow Weaver raised her to believe. That’s what Light Hope insisted on. She needed to balance Etheria and release the Heart.   
  
Adora succeeded in balancing Etheria. She brought the planet out of Despondos and into the greater galaxy. But releasing the Heart, the weapon the First Ones turned the planet into, would destroy the planet.   
  
And despite thrusting the planet into another dimension, Adora had no plans on destroying her home. No matter how much power Shadow Weaver tried to convince her of obtaining.   
  
So, destroying the sword was the only way to stop the Heart from being released.   
  
But now with no sword, no She-Ra, the magic of the planet is dying. The planet is balanced and in the greater universe, which should’ve advanced the magic.  
  
According to Entrapta, however, the magic of She-Ra is gone so nothing is holding the planet’s magic together. The sword was the key, after all, to the planet’s magic. Now that it’s gone, the magic seems to have gone with it.  
  
Adora stops right as she reaches the loading dock of the ship. Her friends are running around, making last minute adjustments to their trip.   
  
They’re getting ready to travel out to space for the first time in a thousand years. Now that they were surrounded by planets, they could travel to them and find a way to restore the magic of Etheria, without having to release the Heart.  
  
It’s a far-fetched idea but it’s all they got.   
  
Adora snaps out of her thoughts when a hand lands on her shoulder. She turns to see Bow smiling at her.   
  
“Adora, hey, we’re almost ready to go. You have everything?”  
  
The blonde smiles back and nudges her backpack. “Yeah, let’s do this.”  
  
The two walk onto the ship, coming face to face with Entrapta tapping away on her pad. She sees them walk up and beams.  
  
“Adora! Bow! I have great news! We have our first destination!” She shows them the screen of her pad, pointing at a circle in the corner. “This is Krytis! According to Darla, it’s one of the most magic-infused planets in this system! Maybe there’s something there that can help us!”  
  
Adora grins, slinging an arm around Bow’s shoulders. “That’s great, Entrapta! Let’s set course to Krytis!”  
  
x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x  
  
“Glimmer!”   
  
Said princess flinches, grimace adorning her face. She glances from Adora to Bow, both of whom were staring at her in disbelief.  
  
“What? I have everything under control!”  
  
Bow sputters, “That’s not the point! You didn’t tell your parents we were going to space?!”  
  
Adora shakes her head and leans over to poke at Glimmer’s shoulder. “Not only that but you told us they had said yes to the mission!”  
  
Glimmer throws her hands up in the air. “If I had told them our plan, they would’ve said no! Or worse, try to come with!”  
  
Bow reaches up to cradle his head in disbelief. “But, Glimmer, how do you think they’re gonna react when they see that the _Princess of Bright Moon_ is nowhere to be found?”  
  
“I left a note!”  
  
“A note!” Adora exclaims as she walks over to the captain’s chair and slumps down on it. “Because that’s gonna solve all our problems! Oh, we’re gonna have our assess handed to us when we go back!”  
  
Glimmer huffs and crosses her arms. “You guys are taking this way out of proportion!” She waves her hands towards the blonde of the group. “You didn’t tell Shadow Weaver – “  
  
A gasp. “She’s in jail! I have nothing to say to her!”  
  
“-and Bow, you probably didn’t tell your dads!”  
  
“Of course I did! They freaked out but at least they _know where I am_!”  
  
Glimmer groans in frustration and starts pacing in front of them. “You guys know how my mom would’ve reacted! And my dad probably would’ve posted more guards around us, and then we wouldn’t have been able to leave to try to find magic and Etheria would lose the magic forever and then there would be no more runestones or princesses or – or teleporting everywhere or magic swords – “  
  
“ _Technically_ , there isn’t a magic sword anymore – “  
  
“ – and with no more magic, would the planet really stay balanced because literally _no one_ has _any_ idea how the Heart really works besides a crazy power obsessed lady and a thousand year old hologram and we can’t really trust them anymore– “  
  
Glimmer stops her pacing and words abruptly. She gapes and stares towards the front of the ship where a large planet is getting larger the closer they get to it.  
  
Entrapta suddenly cackles, running into the room and over to the front panels to leans closer to the window. “We’re here! We’re about to enter Krytis’ atmosphere!”   
  
Glimmer walks closer to the window, eyes wide in amazement. “Wow. I can feel all the planet’s magic from this far away.”  
  
Entrapta rubs her hands together and grins. “That means this place is overrun with magical properties! We need to get closer!” She pauses her gushing to look back at the other three. “I suggest you hold onto something.”  
  
“Wha – “  
  
“Punch it, Darla!”  
  
The ship suddenly lurches forward at great speeds. Bow has to jump onto Adora’s lap and reach out to grab Glimmer, otherwise they would have slammed against the far wall. Adora groans under their combined weight but makes sure to adjust so they all can hold onto the chair.  
  
After what seems like eternity but it’s actually only a few minutes, Darla slows down. Now they’re gliding through the air, high enough to only be a dot in the distance if someone was looking from the ground but low enough to make out the terrain below them.  
  
Adora grunts and slips out from under Bow and Glimmer, walking over to the front panel. “Hey, Entrapta, is there somewhere to land and get some fresh air? We might want to start exploring, too.”  
  
“Sure! According to Darla, the atmosphere on this planet is safe! Anywhere in particular you want to land?”  
  
Adora watches the trees and mountains pass by under them and shrugs. “Do you know where the nearest civilization is, if there’s any?”  
  
Entrapta taps away at the panel, humming an unrecognizable tune as she searches for an answer.   
  
Adora sees Bow and Glimmer finally untangle themselves and walk over, Glimmer’s sparkling eyes watching the planet around them. She’s practically vibrating from the sheer amount of magic that surrounds them.  
  
Adora doesn’t blame her. Despite not having She-Ra anymore, thus not having any magic herself, she can also feel the magic settling over her like a warm blanket.  
  
“Aha! There’s a huge amount of life readings gathered at the edge of the forest, closer to the larger mountains. Seems like a big village or town.”  
  
Adora grins. “Good! Let’s head on over!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's play How Many Times Can I Put the Word 'Magic' Inside This Fic. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. And I Can See The Fire In Your Eyes

“Stay here.” Brand’well orders as he crouches on the railing of the balcony.  
  
Catra blinks at him in surprise. “What – no, Bran, I’m staying with you – “  
  
“I said stay here. It’ll be safer for you.” He turns to lock eyes with her, growling. “It only looks like it’s just one ship, but you have to stay in the palace. Colonizers are no joke.”  
  
Catra bares her teeth, “I’m no kitten, Bran. I can fight.”  
  
Brand’well shakes his head, reaching out to gently push her in the direction of the room. “Stay. Ma and Ly’line will worry over you instead of focusing on the battle. Make sure our people are safe. The palace will be full of civilians soon and there needs to be an authority figure here. That needs to be you.”  
  
An agitated rumble makes itself known in Catra’s chest at being told what to do – at being told not to fight.   
  
Her whole life, she’s been stuck in the middle. Being encouraged to do her best, to live up to everyone’s expectations but also being overprotected. She’s not allowed outside of the palace without an escort party. She excels at hunting practice and camping, but she’s not allowed outside the kingdom walls to put her skills to use. She aces her leadership and combat classes, but she’s not allowed inside meetings or to make battle plans.   
  
And now that there’s an opportunity to prove herself, to prove that she’s more than just the shadow of someone long gone, her brother wants her to stay inside and hide.  
  
Nope. Not gonna happen.  
  
Catra snarls and jumps onto the railing by her brother, eyes locked onto the descending ship. “If you’re so worried about there being a royal in the palace, then maybe you should stay.”   
  
With that said, she jumps down onto a vine and propels herself towards the trees down below. Melog only hesitates for a slight moment before throwing themselves down below, following the princess.  
  
Brand’well sighs in frustration then follows her down. He looks towards the palace entrance and sees his mother looking after Catra as she disappears after Ly’line. He stops at a branch right above C’yra, crouching down to lay a hand on her shoulder.  
  
“I’ll watch over her,” he promises and C’yra narrows her eyes but nods. She turns to the palace and starts issuing orders again as civilians start arriving at the palace gates.  
  
Brand’well watches his mother govern over her people for a moment to make sure she’s got everything under control then turns to follow his little sister into danger.  
  
x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x- x  
  
Adora grins the moment the door opens and she can breathe in the fresh air of the planet.   
  
Everything here seems so much cleaner and crisper. The grass was so green, the sky an outrageous shade of blue. Everything seems to glow in golden light, so much like – like She-Ra.  
  
Adora’s grin dims, her awe at this planet dulling due to the sudden weight on her shoulders.  
  
Right. They’re here for a reason.   
  
Sighing, she turns to an awe-struck Entrapta. “Hey, where’s that village you were talking about?” Her gaze sweeps around the clearing they landed in. It seems as if it’s just the four of them here.  
  
Entrapta shakes herself out of her stupor and fishes out her pad, typing on it with her hair.   
  
“They’re only a couple of kilometers away! A huge energy signal comes from behind the group! Or is it from below? It’s hard to tell, I’ll have to analyze the planet’s mass and – “ She cuts herself off, tilting her head slightly as she watches something on the screen.  
  
Bow and Glimmer share a look with Adora, who shrugs.   
  
“Hmm, it seems that quite a few of the heat signatures that indicate life readings are heading this way. They’re not too far off, maybe a couple of minutes north of us? At the pace they’re moving, they might be within range of us in a couple of minutes – no, a couple of seconds! Wow! Whoever they are, they’re extremely fast! And agile, as they’re coming from the direction where there are many trees and roots so for them to be going this speed – “  
  
Bow laughs awkwardly, hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. “Uh, Entrapta, is it possible to tell whether they’re friendlies?”  
  
Entrapta grins, “Nope! But isn’t this fascinating?! They must be so strong and fast in order to cover this much ground in such a short amount of time!”  
  
At the suggestion of possible enemies, Adora scrambles for her staff hidden in her satchel. Bow hurries for his bow and arrows while Glimmer’s staff appears in her hands, which are glowing far brighter than usual.   
  
“Whoa! Guys, look at this! Magic is way stronger here than in Etheria!” Glimmer exclaims as she observes her hands, moving them this way and that, the magic shining bright despite her output being small.  
  
Adora smiles at her friend’s amusement but drops down to a defensive stance at Entrapta’s excited gasp.  
  
“They’re here!”  
  
All four turn towards the woods, dropping into defensive positions.   
  
The forest is silent, light crashing through the leaves and trees. Wind whistles through the branches, swaying them gently. Nothing else seems to move, no sounds besides the wind coming from the trees.  
  
Glimmer lowers her hands slightly, “Uh, are we sure there’s something out there?”  
  
Entrapta nods, waving her pad from side to side. “Yes! There’s many life readings there. Data never lies!”  
  
Adora goes to speak but something catches her attention.   
  
Something whistles towards Entrapta at a rapid pace. Adora tackles the shorter woman to the ground in an instant. She feels her jacket ripping and a burning sensation on her upper arm. Whatever was thrown at them injures her and leaves her bleeding down her arm.  
  
Absently, she registers Bow and Glimmer standing before her in defense as she forces herself off Entrapta. Adora checks her over quickly. Entrapta looks a bit disoriented but otherwise unharmed.  
  
The blonde stands, taking Bow’s left side and expanding her staff.   
  
Nothing else has happened in the couple of seconds that all took. A look behind her lets her know that it was a spear that had been thrown at them, now lodged on the ground. Another looks at her arm has her gritting her teeth and mourning her red jacket now covered in blood.  
  
The wound is not too deep but big enough to be a discomfort.  
  
Glimmer points her staff in the direction where the spear was thrown from. “Come out and fight us, you cowards!”  
  
Bow hisses at her quietly, “Glimmer! Don’t encourage them!”  
  
A shadow emerges from the trees, arrow nocked on a bow. Adora blinks twice in surprise.  
  
 _‘Are those cat ears and a tail?’_  
  
Their dark brown mane cascades down their back, brown fur covering their body except for the white fur on their hands and feet. Bright blue eyes watch them carefully, slit eyes following their movements. The tail and ears are a darker shade of brown, almost black.   
  
When they speak, their voice is smooth, regal even. It reminds her of Angella.  
  
“Leave.”  
  
Glimmer glares, “No.”  
  
A threatening growl comes from the person – cat? – and Entrapta gasps excitedly. She starts mumbling to herself about cat characteristics – what the hell are zoomies? – but Adora tunes her out in favor of trying to keep the peace.   
  
She takes a step forward, palms raised by her head but stops when the arrow is pointed directly at her.  
  
“Don’t move.”  
  
Adora grimaces, shoulders tense as she tries to keep the attention on her. “Please, we mean no harm. We just want to talk.”  
  
The cat-person narrows their eyes and snarls. “We’re not falling for that again. Leave the planet before I stop being friendly. I won’t ask again.”  
  
Glimmer scoffs quietly – “This is them being friendly?” – but Bow shushes her.  
  
Adora frowns in confusion. “Again? This is our first time in space. We’ve never been to Krytis before.”  
  
Another growl. “Do not try to deceive me. I can recognize those symbols anywhere.” They point towards the ship with their arrow before nocking it again towards the blonde. “Your kind is not welcomed here. You should’ve learned your lesson two decades ago.”  
  
Adora’s eyes widen and she subconsciously takes another step forward. “Wait, you know of the First Ones?”  
  
They scoff and bare their teeth again. “First Ones? Typical of Colonizers to think they’re entitled to that name.”  
  
Bow shakes his head, lowering his bow. “Wait, we’re not First Ones,” he sends Adora a quick glance but continues, “We come from a planet nearby called Etheria.”  
  
The archer across from them tilts their head, curious but no closer to lowering their weapon. “If what you’re saying is true, then how come you have Colonizer technology?”  
  
Entrapta jumps up from behind them at this point, forgetting her observing of cat-like behavior. “I can explain that! You see, about a thousand years ago, the ones you seem to call Colonizers tried to, well, colonize our planet Etheria! They tried to mine our magic but were ultimately unsuccessful. Many of their technology is left in our planet, and Darla is one of them!” She pats the side of the ship with her hair affectionally.   
  
The archer seems confused but points their arrow at Adora as she takes another step forward, succeeding in putting herself in front of her friends and in the sole path of the arrow.  
  
“We needed a way to reach other planets, and the First Ones’ ship was our only option. We’ve had no contact with them in over a thousand years. We have no affiliation with them.” Adora explains slowly in an effort to not appear threatening.  
  
The cat-like person narrows their eyes again and turns their head sideways. They let out a few clicking sounds with their jaw and turn back to the Etherians.  
  
“And why would you need to reach other planets?”   
  
The question is lost to the foursome as all of a sudden, other cat-like people start emerging from the shadows of the trees. All of them of different colors, shapes and sizes. They all have weapons of all sorts. Swords, spears, bows and arrows, staffs. Some aren’t holding weapons, but their claws are unsheathed, sharp and glinting in the suns’ light.  
  
Adora’s attention is back on the leader as they draw the string of their bow back.  
  
“Why are you in Krytis?”  
  
Adora tenses, hands coming down to crouch into a defensive position. She knows they’re surrounded. If the enemy had wanted them dead, they would’ve been on the ground long ago. With this many people surrounding them and no She-Ra, Adora knows they stand no chance.  
  
Maybe coming here with just the four of them was a bad idea.  
  
She hears the string on Bow’s bow drawing back as well, aiming somewhere to their left. She feels Glimmer’s magic returning to her hands, feels their warmth cocoon her.  
  
Nevertheless, they’re gonna try to get out of this.  
  
Glimmer grips her staff harder, glares at the leader. “Our planet’s magic is dying. We’re looking for a way to save it.”  
  
“That’s of no concern to Krytis.”  
  
The last spark of hope that they’ll get help gets snuffed out of Adora. She slumps her shoulders for half a second then straightens up to twirl her staff into an offensive stance.  
  
Glimmer starts writing a rune in mid-air and Bow takes aim.   
  
“Wait!”  
  
A figure lands in the middle of what would be a battlefield, their back to the four of them. Bow immediately lowers his bow in relief and Glimmer holds back from completing her rune.   
  
The leader across from them growls, lowering their bow. “Cat’rina, get back to the palace. You shouldn’t be out here.”  
  
The new arrival, Cat’rina, shakes her head, brown mane flowing wildly behind her. Her voice, compared to the leader’s smooth one, is raspy and makes shivers run up Adora’s spine when she speaks. “No, Ly’line, I’m staying right here.”  
  
Ly’line grunts, “Where’s your brother? He shouldn’t have let you out of his sight.”  
  
Another figure lands in the middle, build much broader and taller than Cat’rina but with the same complexion as Ly’line. He leans an elbow on Cat’rina’s head and waves. “She’s being a bit of a brat but I have to agree with her in this, Ly’line.”  
  
Ly’line glares at them both, bow lowering even further. “You can’t possibly trust them over your own people.”  
  
Cat’rina frowns and crosses her arms. “I’m not. But they said their planet’s magic is dying. Shouldn’t we help people out and expect nothing in return?”  
  
“Not when they’re associated with Colonizers!”  
  
“But they’re not. Are you?” Cat’rina turns to them at this point.   
  
And, listen, Adora usually has more composure than this, especially in the face of possible battle. But those gold and blue mismatched eyes manage to take the air out of her lungs the moment they meet her dark blue eyes. She just stares, dumbfounded, at the feline in front of her.  
  
 _‘Wow.’_  
  
Glimmer glances between the two in silence for a few moments before clearing her throat. “No, we’re not First Ones. They mined the magic of our planet and tried to use it for their own needs. Which is why we need help to restore it.”  
  
Cat’rina settles her eyes on Glimmer for a moment before turning back to Ly’line.  
  
“Colonizers wanted to take our magic as well, Ly. What if it had been us, instead of them, they had mined? With no other options, we’d be looking elsewhere. Why not give them the benefit of the doubt?”  
  
Ly’line shakes their head, “You’re too trusting, Cat’rina, you’re too young to know the pain of what happened last time–“  
  
Cat’rina snarls suddenly, claws unsheathing. “Oh, I’ve lived with the consequences of the Colonizers’ actions since the day I was born and you named me. But they aren’t Colonizers. They’re using magic so they can’t be.” She points a claw in Glimmer’s direction, indicating at her glowing hands.   
  
Ly’line’s facial features harden and they stand straighter. “Cat’rina, I order you back to the palace. You have no business here. Brand’well, escort your sister back.”  
  
Cat’rina straightens as well, eyes roaming the soldiers in front of her before turning her head. She locks eyes with Adora again.  
  
Adora bites her lip, hope blossoming in her chest as she stares into those eyes that hold such compassion and sympathy.   
  
“I, Princess Cat’rina of the Kingdom of Half Moon, invoke my right as a royal party to be responsible for any and all actions done by the people of Etheria from here on out.”  
  
As everyone around them starts muttering in shock and disbelief, weapons are lowered and some of the people even kneel, Ly’line stares at Cat’rina in surprise and betrayal.  
  
She only stares back, defiant and strong. Brand’well brings a hand to rub his temples as if a headache was forming.  
  
Adora can only think one thing.   
  
Maybe they shouldn’t have come to Krytis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School's starting up for me so chapter's are slow. I'm sorry! But thanks for reading and all the kudos! Appreciate you all!


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